World Security Report2015-06-03 09:26:46

Sonardyne partners with NDI for maritime security in the USA

As part of its continued business expansion and long-term commitment to the region, underwater technology specialists, Sonardyne International Ltd, UK, has entered into a non-exclusive agreement with Northern Defense Industries (NDI) to become its strategic partner for maritime security and defense projects in the USA.

Virginia-based NDI supplies integrated security solutions for maritime, energy and critical infrastructure applications both in North America and around the world. Its multi-sensor surveillance solutions, including radar, CCTV and AIS, are used to provide early warning of potential threats approaching ports, harbors, waterside power stations, ships and offshore platforms. Under the terms of the new agreement, Sonardyne and NDI will deliver systems that offer an enhanced underwater surveillance and security capability to help protect high value marine assets. These systems will include Sonardyne's swimmer detection sonar, Sentinel, obstacle avoidance sonar, NOAS and other related acoustic technologies.

Sentinel is the market-leading intruder detection sonar and is already in service at a number of sites within the United States. The system is able to reliably detect, track and classify underwater targets approaching a protected facility or vessel at long range and from any direction. Sentinel's small size sonar head, autonomous operation and low false alarm rates, provides a rapidly deployable underwater surveillance sensor that can be used standalone or integrated within an existing command and control (C2) system.

Complementing the capabilities offered by Sentinel is NOAS, a forward looking sonar developed by Sonardyne for both ships and manned underwater vehicles. NOAS maps in high definition the seabed ahead of a vessel enabling potentially hazardous underwater obstacles to be detected. Uniquely, when installed together on a vessel, NOAS and Sentinel sonars can be used together to provide a complete 360° navigation and intruder detection capability for naval ships, cruise liners and private yachts.

Commenting on this new partnership, Andrew Wood, Sonardyne's Sales Manager for Maritime Security in North America said, "NDI's impressive track record in delivering integrated security projects and support to defense and Homeland Security users across North America made them the obvious choice for us to partner with." He went on to say, "NDI has extensive experience working with Sentinel which serves as a strong platform for us to continue building for the future here in the USA."

Andy Meecham, Chief Technology Officer for NDI and AMS Group commented, "A key part of NDI's business is providing maritime security and domain awareness solutions for ports, harbors and critical infrastructure facilities - both domestically and worldwide. We are thrilled to have entered into this agreement with Sonardyne. We are now able to better leverage our globally recognized in-house underwater acoustics expertise with Sonardyne's world-leading technology, further strengthening our portfolio of best-of-breed sensors. This will ensure that the quality solutions NDI designs, installs and supports remain some of the most effective and complete in the world."